Doctors, insurance and emergencies in New Delhi

Private hospitals

Apollo, Fortis, Max, Medanta in Gurgaon and Sir Ganga Ram are the institutions most foreign residents use, with English throughout, fast specialist access and costs far below Europe or the United States. India is a major medical-tourism destination for exactly this reason. Standards between the top private groups and the tier below them differ, so ask locally.

• Direct specialist appointments, often same-day.
• Costs are a fraction of Western equivalents even at the top hospitals.
• Most large insurers have direct-billing arrangements with the main groups.

Insurance

Employer cover is common and usually adequate for routine care; check the annual limit, whether dependants are included and whether outpatient treatment is covered at all, as many Indian group policies are admission-only. International policies are worth holding if you travel or may be treated outside India.

• Check whether outpatient care is covered — many group plans are inpatient only.
• Confirm the hospital network and direct-billing arrangements.
• Pre-existing conditions are typically subject to waiting periods.

Air quality, which is the real issue

Delhi's winter air quality is among the worst of any major city, with a severe season running roughly from October to February. The authorities respond through the Graded Response Action Plan: as the AQI worsens, the Commission for Air Quality Management steps through four stages that halt construction, keep older petrol and diesel cars off the roads and move schools to hybrid or online classes. The practical response at home is a housing and equipment one: purifiers with real HEPA filters in bedrooms and workspaces, a flat that can be sealed, awareness of the daily index, and masks rated for fine particulates on bad days. Families with young children and anyone with a respiratory condition should weigh this seriously in deciding where and whether to live here.

• Check the AQI on the CPCB's Sameer app; above 300 is classed as very poor and above 400 as severe.
• Severe season is roughly October to February, peaking around November.
• HEPA purifiers sized to the room, in every bedroom and workspace.
• Check window seals and whether the flat can be closed effectively.
• Monitor the daily AQI and adjust outdoor exercise accordingly.

Water, food and the summer

Tap water is not drunk; households use RO filtration or bottled supply. Stomach upsets in the first weeks are common and usually mild. Summer heat is extreme — May and June regularly exceed forty degrees — which makes reliable air conditioning, and reliable power to run it, a health matter rather than a comfort one.

• RO filtration or bottled water for drinking and ice.
• 112 is the single emergency number; 102 and 108 reach ambulance services, and private hospitals dispatch their own.
• Extreme heat in May and June; confirm the backup power runs the air conditioning.
• Mosquito-borne illness rises after the monsoon.

In order

1. 1Check whether your employer's policy covers outpatient care and your dependants.
2. 2Register with a private hospital near home and save its ambulance number.
3. 3Buy HEPA purifiers for bedrooms and workspaces before October.
4. 4Arrange RO filtration or bottled water for drinking.
5. 5Confirm the backup power runs the air conditioning before May.